Title: Ensared
Author: A.G. Howard
Page count: 420 pages
Date published: Jan 2015
Publisher: Amulet Books
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars!
Blurb:
After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?
It's the final fight for Wonderland. Everything falls into place in Ensnared. Alyssa must do whatever it takes to save Wonderland from Red's darkness. Sacrifices will have to be made. Tough choices will come to pass. Secrets will be revealed.
It's safe to say that Ensnared was a helluva ride. Starting out and finishing strong, this book does not let up with the twists and turns, action, romance, magic, and mystery. It will leave you, as the reader, on your tip toes throughout all 420 pages. It will make you scream in agony and cry tears of joy. You'll wish that this book will never end because, let's face it, Morpheus is quite lovely and you'll never want to let him go.
I am so pleased with this book.
This has everything that I wanted and more. The reader will get some sweet and adorable scenes with Alyssa and her father. The chapters are never boring. Something is always happening in this book. I never once thought to myself that I wished something interesting would happen because something interesting always was happening. In this book, the reader will learn Red's past and the reasoning behind her actions. Alyssa will find her two loves, Morpheus and Jeb, and learn that one of them isn't the same since they were captured by Red and taken to AnyElsewhere. Alyssa will have to make some tough choices that will ultimately decide the fate of Wonderland and everything she loves.
Alyssa has come so far from the girl she was in Splintered. She's grown to love and care for Wonderland in a way that she thought she never would. Wonderland has become an important part of her. She's fallen in love with Wonderland's insanity. She was so insecure and naive in the Splitered and since then she's grown up into a woman befitting a queen. She has the passion and strength that it will take to rule as Wonderland's queen and I'm so happy that she's matured. The development of Alyssa as a character throughout this series has been gradual but steady. As time passed, Alyssa's mindset began to change. She's more quick to think about the consequences of her actions before she does them. She's cunning now and that's what she needs to be in order to be a good and fair queen. Not only that, but she's learned the ways of Wonderland and what makes it tick. In order to make Wonderland a better place, she has to understand it in ways that no human ever could. She has to accept the netherling side of her heart and embrace it. And she does.. all the while keeping her human side in tact and a big part of her decisions in life. She has learned to accept herself for who she truly is, part human and part Wonderland, and that is the greatest thing she could ever do.
I'm very pleased with how Alyssa grew as the series progressed, and I'm glad to see that it all tied together in her final journey. I couldn't ask for better character growth than what A.G. Howard gave me and so I applaud her for that.
As for Alyssa's dilemma with the two men vying for her heart, the choice is much harder. Alyssa's heart is literally being torn in half from a spell that Red put upon her. Her netherling side and her human side are at war and it's killing her. A big part of that is her feelings for Jeb, her lifelong best friend and mortal knight, and Morpheus, the long-lost man from her dreams of Wonderland as a child. Both Jeb and Morpheus have a special place in Alyssa's heart and no matter what she does she can't shake either of them. She loves them both in her own way and can't stand to hurt either one of them. But there will come a time when she has to decide who she wants to have a future with.
“Jeb is an anchor; he holds me grounded to my humanity and compassion. But Morpheus is the wind; he drags me kicking and screaming to the highest precipice, shoves me off, then watches me fly with netherling wings. When Jeb's at my side, the world is a canvas--unblemished and welcoming; when I'm with Morpheus, it's a wanton playground--wicked and addictive.”
Her romance with Jeb has built up from years of friendship over the course of Alyssa's life. Needless to say, there's definitely chemistry between the two. I didn't like Jeb and Alyssa together in Splintered or Unhinged and refused to believe that Alyssa shouldn't be with Morpheus, but I have to admit that I did enjoy their relationship in Ensnared. Their relationship is a slow-burning love with trust and loyalty at the center. While it's not a whirlwind romance full of mystery and passion like with Morpheus, Jeb and Alyssa have a beautiful love as well. I hated Jeb in the first and second books because he tried to control Alyssa at every turn but I think that Jeb really understood in this book that Alyssa is strong and capable of making her own decisions. He had his own character growth as well and became something more than the jealous boyfriend. This is the reason why I could finally see why Alyssa loved him. They have so much history that it can't be denied. Despite the changes in Jeb (you'll understand what I mean when you read the book), there is a sweet intangible love that can't be erased or destroyed. As much as my past self would hate to admit this I have to... Jeb and Alyssa should be together.
BUT the only problem is that Alyssa should be with Morpheus as well. Unlike Jeb and Alyssa's love, the love between Alyssa and Morpheus is full of magic and passion. It's a fiery hot love that burns everything it touches. No one can just get rid of a love like that. It's the kind of love that stays with you. And it should. Alyssa can't just erase her feelings for Morpheus. He is the perfect match for her. He understands her in ways that she doesn't even understand herself. He embraces her faults and strengths and loves her all the more for it. He doesn't want to control her or make her weak. He wants to stand beside her as she takes everything she can out of life. He sees her as his equal. He wants and needs her desperately. That's what their love is.. desperate. It's the kind of love that you get one taste of and realize what you've been missing all your life.
"Jebediah has given up on you, but I never will. I can offer you the security you desire. If you'll but be mine, your heart will forever be sheltered in my care. Yes, we will quarrel incessantly and fight for dominance. And yes, there will be ravishes of passion, but there will also be gentle lulls. That is who we are together. You'll never need fear that your love is not reciprocated. For although you've made me feel things I am not equipped for... I cannot stop feeling them." His chin quavers. "You opened Pandora’s box within me. Set loose the imaginings and emotions of a mortal man. And there is no closing it ever again.” The jewels under his eyes twitch between dark purple and blue. “As much as I abhor being anything akin to human, Alyssa, I wouldn’t dare try to close it. Because that would mean losing you."
I adore Alyssa and Morpheus together. Their love is and never will be easy but that doesn't mean that it isn't real. They'll have to fight for love every single day but I know that they'll always choose to. This isn't infatuation. This isn't a crush. This is real, unbridled love. It doesn't go away. No matter what happens and whom Alyssa chooses, she will spend the rest of forever in love with Morpheus and vice versa.
As for the ending and the fate of Wonderland, you'll just have to read it. I will say that I thought the ending was fitting. All of the missing pieces throughout the series are solved and placed in order to create a masterpiece. Alyssa chooses who she wants to spend her life with and I respect her decision. I kind of had a feeling about what her choice would be before she made it as it hints toward it in the last bit of the book so I wasn't really surprised. I think the ending will satisfy readers in some way or another.
Overall, I was so pleased with Ensnared. It was the perfect ending. (I just read on Goodreads that A.G. Howard is making a companion novel called Untamed which will share three stories that take place after the events of Ensnared, so you can bet that I'll be reading it!)
Until next time,
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